Discography

This is a list of recordings I have that feature Albert Tipton.

Paul Paray Concducts French Orchestral Music, 5 CD Set, Detroit
Symphony Orchestra,
Mercury Living Presence (475 6268, ISBN 028947562689).
Albert Tipton's playing is featured on this
collection in Namouna Suite no 1 by Edouard Lalo. This 5 CD set is a
digital remastering of the original analogue 3-track tape recordings
that were made from 1957 through 1963. The CD was released in 2004.

Paul Paray conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Mercury Living
Presence (434 306-2, ISBN 028943430623). This CD features Albert Tipton
in Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2. Also on the CD are Ravel's Valses
nobles et sentimentales and Debussey's Nocturnes for Orchestra.
It is a digital remastering
of the original tapes recorded between 1958 and 1961. This CD was
released in 1992.

Rameau/Blavet, The Baroque Sonata, performed by The Tipton Trio,
Albert Tipton (flute), Mary Norris (harpsichord), Mario DiFiore (cello).
This LP recording was released under the Westminster label in 1967
(WST-17157).

Twentieth Century Trios for flute, cello, and piano by Martinu, Damase,
and Rorem performed by the Tipton Trio (see above). This LP recording
was released under the Westminster label in 1967 (WST-17147).

The Platinum Flute, Albert Tipton (flute) and Mary Norris (piano).
Works on this CD include Enesco's Cantabile e presto, Poulenc's Sonata,
and the Prokofieff Sonata. The CD was released in 1995 by Trebla Productions.

Albert Tipton in Recital. The CD cover does not mention the pianist,
but I assume it was Mary Norris. Included on this recording are the
J. S. Bach Partita in a minor for flute alone, C. P. E. Bach Sonata in
G major, Frederick the Great Sonata in g minor, J. S. Bach Sonata #1 in
b minor for flute and keyboard, Harold Laudenslager Evocation for Flute alone,
Isang Yun Garak, Ernst Dohnanyi Aria, and Debussy Syrinx. The CD was
released in 1994 by Trebla Productions.

Personal Recollections

I went to Florida State University in 1968 as a freshman on a
flute scholarship. Through sheer luck for me, Albert Tipton had
just left the Detroit Symphony to become Professor of Flute at
FSU. I was fortunate enough to study with him for seven years
until he left for a corresponding position at Rice
University.

The first lessons I had with him consisted mainly of playing
scales very slowly so that I could learn about tone and
intonation. As I write this in 2005, I'm not sure how much my
memory may have been influenced by other reports I have read in
the intervening decades, but my recollection is that he was not
at all interested in working on repertoire with me until I could
play in tune correctly.

While in high school, I had developed an intense interest in
musical acoustics and the physics of music, so I thought I was in
heaven when Albert Tipton started teaching me to listen for
difference tones when the two of us played together and also to
listen for the momentary difference tone that occurs just after
the transition from one note to the next - the echo of the
previous note interacts with the current note for the length of
the echo to produce the difference tone.

After I reached a certain level of competance in my intonation
and tone, we worked more on literature. However, intonation work
was at least a small part of nearly every lesson.

I don't think I fully appreciated how great Tipton played the
flute until I heard his first faculty recital during his first
year at FSU. Words fail me in describing what an impression his
playing made on me. I looked forward to his annual recital with
an anticipation that I can only compare with the excitement I had
for the approaching of Christmas when I was very young.

I remember attending an interdisciplinary seminar on musical
acoustics with Tipton. The seminar was organized by Michael Kasha
in the Institue of Molecular Biophysics across the campus from
the music building. I don't remember how Tipton and I got
involved, but he and I attended the seminar together for a
quarter or two. Although Tipton was the only non-scientist in the
group, he was remarkably perceptive about what was going on even
during the technical discussions. I remember spending a lot of
time outside of the seminar explaining the technical details to
Tipton, and I was impressed at his intuitive grasp of the
issues.

Once when I was giving a presentation to the seminar on the
mathematics of scale temperament, I looked out and saw one of
attendees struggling to stay awake. He happened to be a
preiminant scientist, and in fact was a fellow of the National
Academy of Sciences. Then I looked over at Tipton, and he was
just sitting there alert as ever soaking up every word.

Tipton was generous enough to spend an afternoon allowing me
to tape record his playing along with several of his students as
a part of a research project I was doing on intonation. Gunther
Schwartz, Professor of Physics, had loaned me some space and
equipment in his laboratory to use in the data collection.

Albert Tipton had enormous musical talent that put him head
and shoulders above most other musicians I have known.
Nevertheless, he was able to be very positive about his
colleagues and students. He possessed an outward modesty and
humility that belied his rare talent and accomplishments.

As I look back at my experiences in college, I view the time
I spent with Albert Tipton (mostly in lessons) to be among the
most positive and valuable experiences I had. It is difficult to
quantify how he impacted me. But even as I write this almost 30
years after last seeing him, I still think of him, his music, and
my lessons with him almost every day. I suspect that my
optimistic outlook on life is partly a result of my exposure to
him.